Arts groups must prove merit to keep charitable status By Ruth Gillespie for The Stage

Arts organisations that charge for tickets or services must be prepared to justify the merits of their work or risk losing charitable status under new legislation recently announced in the Queen’s Speech, a leading entertainment and media law firm has warned.

Robert Porter, a senior associate at Harbottle and Lewis, said arts bodies may be “significantly affected” by the Charities Bill, which is expected to begin its route through parliament in the coming months. In particular, changes to existing laws will mean applicants must prove the benefit they provide to the public and the ongoing artistic and educational merits of their work before being granted charitable status.

Solution to West End’s £250m funding crisis still not found By Jeremy Austin for The Stage

West End theatres are “still a long way off” finding a solution to the funding crisis that is leaving them in need of £250 million over the next 15 years, according to those closely involved in the project.

While culture secretary Tessa Jowell and outgoing arts minister Estelle Morris have both pledged government support for a viable scheme, the money necessary to bring central London’s ageing venues up to a standard fit for 21st century audiences has yet to be found.

Since the launch of the National Lottery, Arts Council England has invested more than £1.86 billion in arts projects across the country. Whilst the headline-grabbing projects it has supported, such as Tate Modern, have not been in the field of dance, it would be wrong to assume that dance projects have not been beneficiaries. What emerges clearly from the figures, however, is that dance remains firmly a “minority” art form, certainly in terms of investment and that the lion’s share of the monies have, so far, gone to other art forms, although the total does not include “multi-purpose” venues, such as the Royal Opera House, which is, to date, the single largest award at £78.5 million.

"The Arts Council is, of course, very disappointed at today's announcement from the DCMS. Our revenue grant is frozen from 2005/06 to 2007/08 and, in real terms, this is a cut to the arts of over £30 million. It is extraordinary that the Government has chosen to undercut the very success it has helped to build since 1997. We're right back to stop-start funding, which we hoped we had left behind.

"It's not that we think the arts should be exempt from public expenditure pressures. But what is disappointing is the sense of 'Buggins' turn'. The contemporary arts did well last time round, so now they don't. Regional museums did less well last time, so now they do better. This is no way to build our culture and throws into question the place of the arts and museums in the Government's pecking order.

"So we are now left with some stark choices. Either we rob the mainstream arts to protect arts for young people, emerging artists and innovation - or we rob arts for young people, emerging artists and innovation in order to bolster some of the mainstream arts. We will announce our decisions in March."

This is disappointing. The last 3-year spending plan already showed a marked increase for Arts Council England from 2004/5 to 2005/6 and this money is already allocated to arts companies and projects around the country.

The flat level for the two years to 2007/8 plus the likelihood of reduced funds from the Lottery will mean that the real level of funding will fall and companies and artists will feel a pinch, as a result. Stop-go is not a sensible way to run any organisation.

Taking account of the relative lack of space given to the arts in the Department of Culture, Media and Sport press release plus this freeze on increased funding, it certainly looks as though the Minister, Tessa Jowell, does not have the arts at the top of her list of priorities.

Theatres, orchestras and dance and opera companies that have enjoyed a bonanza since Labour came to office were warned that they may face cuts over the next few years. Tessa Jowell, the Culture Secretary, announced a freeze - a real-term cut of £30 million - in the grant to the Arts Council until 2008.

Arts Council England has had its contributions from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport cut by £30 million, leaving it having to make “some stark choices” on how that shortfall will affect clients.

Although the DCMS has increased its payment to the funding body by 1.75% for the three years 2005/6, 2006/7 and 2007/8, inflation is predicted to average 2.7% in the last two years of this period, making Whitehall’s award a decrease in real terms.

It is impossible to view the effective £30 million cut in the money provided by government to Arts Council England without making a mental reference to the plight of two of the funding body’s sister organisations. Both Arts Council Northern Ireland and Arts Council Wales have already suffered badly this month at the hands of their respective political masters, with their counterpart in Scotland unlikely to escape its share of punishment.

DCMS/ACE failing minorities in artsExclusive: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Arts Council England are failing to reach their own targets for increasing the involvement of minority groups in the arts.
By Alistair Smith for The Stage

Both public bodies had set themselves the goal of increasing both participation and attendance by the disabled and the socially excluded - those in the census’ three lowest class bands. However, they are failing to improve the situation in three out of four categories, with the number of disabled people attending events and the number of socially excluded people involved in cultural activities actually having fallen significantly since the scheme was launched in 2001.

It may turn out to our collective advantage that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not failed simply to meet its inclusion targets but fallen short even of its previous meagre achievements. For this does at least suggest a means by which the arts might claw back some of the National Lottery funding it is now in the process of losing.

Read the small print in new funding dealLeading article from The Stage

Dissatisfaction with the various arts councils is not a sufficient excuse to destroy the system of arm’s-length funding. The good news is that the government appears to agree.

David Lammy’s hints of a new deal for funded organisations are to be welcomed on several fronts. Firstly, it places both him and the culture secretary firmly on the side of those opposed to Arts Council England’s emasculation or abolition.

Scotland could be on its way to becoming laird of the danceby MAGNUS LINKLATER in teh Scotland on Sunday published: November 5, 2006

'THE truest expression of a people is in its dance and its music," said the great American choreographer Agnes de Mille. "Bodies never lie." If that is the case, things are looking up. The Scottish Arts Council's strategic review gave dance one of the biggest single increases in its portfolio - from £1.8m in the current year to £2.6m in 2007/2008. It's still one of the smaller-spending departments, but it is an example of what can be done by a combination of enthusiasm, investment, a high-achieving national ballet company and a sparkling new building. I dare say Strictly Come Dancing and Billy Elliott have played their part too.

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